Godzilla vs Kong marks the fourth film in Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Monsterverse” that was kicked off by Gareth Edward’s Godzilla back in the summer of 2014, which then lead to Kong: Skull Island and the most recently Godzilla: King of the Monsters. For movies that deliver on huge spectacle and kaiju action, they haven’t been the most successful as say the MCU has had with their movies or even Disney with Lucasfilm. However, they have had made the studio a decent profit but with the success of Godzilla: King of the Monsters it’s almost as if people just stop showing up in droves. Some didn’t like the notion of barely seeing Godzilla in the first Godzilla movie, others found Kong: Skull Island to be a silly and campy B movie and some may have seen Godzilla: King of the Monsters focusing too much on the humans when all they want to see are monsters battling it out. Godzilla vs Kong has a very interesting story because this movie was scheduled to first theaters sometime in 2020 but got delayed a handful of times due to the COVID pandemic. Until in December 2020, it finally got a release date for March 31st, 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max the same day. This franchise, by all accounts, has a lot strong merit to it, however, there seems to be more harsh criticisms for this movie than Warner Bros. and Legendary anticipated. Each director that was brought on board to helm a movie for this franchise came from small movies with microscopic budgets, and in the case for Godzilla vs Kong, Adam Wingard was hired too direct and hopefully deliver on what the title suggests. Safe to say, this movie satisfyingly delivers on epic proportions. Godzilla vs Kong is overwhelmingly epic. The fight sequences are intense and spectacular, King Kong & Godzilla are terrific characters and Junkie XL’s music adds a strong layer of an enormous force to the monumental brawl between the two Alpha titans. For what Godzilla vs Kong is trying to accomplish, it does it magnificently.
In this epic next chapter, Godzilla vs Kong pits the two most iconic movie monsters in the history of cinema in a legendary battle, where the fate of humanity becomes at stake. The confrontation between Godzilla and King Kong is just the beginning for what truly lies at the core of the planet.
By far the weakest aspect in Godzilla vs Kong are the human characters. It’s definitely an improvement from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where in that movie the human focus might have overstayed its welcome. In Godzilla vs Kong, the focus on the humans is better in quality but in comparison to what the movie excels on, it doesn’t hold a candle to the fight sequences between Godzilla and Kong. The actors, whether it’s Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Millie Bobby Brown or Brian Tyree Henry, each actor does their part with service. But let’s call it what it is; you’re not there to see the humans. You’re there to see Godzilla and Kong fight and that statement needs to be emphasized even more. Godzilla vs Kong is everything it needed to be and not only does it deliver on that promise, the movie also implements on what every tent pole blockbuster needs to be. The battles in this movie are absoultley jaw dropping. It’s a legit piece of art that’s full of detail and a grand scope. Whether it’s the battle on the Tasman Sea or the skirmish in Hong Kong, the fight sequences between Godzilla and Kong in Godzilla vs Kong have an explosive and formidable sense of weight to it. Something the director Adam Wingard wonderfully executes is really letting us feel the scale and force of these two battling it out. He doesn’t do the Michael Bay Transformers thing where you don’t have a clue to what’s going on and chop up the battles. He beautifully displays the lethal force and strength these two have.Something Godzilla vs Kong pulls off is the visual effects. Even if one wasn’t a fan of this movie, one thing that can’t be denied is the visual style. The use of color just oozes off the screen and the visual sensibilities pay homage to the classic monster movies that had an influence in the making of this movie.
A movie like Godzilla vs Kong might be light on emotion and story and while it might be light on it’s narrative, the movie does feature strong conviction and sympathy for both Godzilla and Kong. Arguably, at the heart of this movie is the relationship between Kong and the little girl, Jia (Kaylee Hottle). The bond that they have is genuine and really the strongest amount of emotional substance that movie has to offer and it’s really what makes King Kong such a beloved and important cinematic character There’s a great sense of humanity to Kong in this movie and the amount of commiseration with him add more anxiety and tension to his battle with Godzilla. As for Godzilla, he feels like a threat and intimidating, but at the same time you understand why he’s so enraged and wrathful. Without getting into spoiler territory, the motivation behind Godzilla is executed well and adds more significance to the fights. You care about both titans which makes the movie more exciting and enthralling.
Tom Holkenborg, also known as Junkie XL, is starting to become one of the best film composers in the business. He’s always been a great film composer whether it’s his music for Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool, Tomb Raider or Alita: Battle Angel, Junkie XL has a great number of orchestrated scores for the projects he’s attached on. With his score for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and now Godzilla vs Kong, he’s becoming a bigger name but his music is getting better and more awe-inspiring.
At the end of the day, Godzilla vs Kong is freaking awesome. The visual effects are outstanding but what the movie guarantees is the clash between Godzilla and Kong. Is it a masterpiece in what it’s trying to achieve? The answer is hell yes.
My grade for Godzilla vs Kong: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 